Yugoslavs vote amid reports of irregularities

Associated Press

Published Monday, September 25, 2000

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- Slobodan Milosevic was locked in a tight election race that could spell the end of his 13 years in power after Yugoslavs turned out in large numbers Sunday in a chaotic vote that poll watchers said was marked by widespread irregularities.

Sensing a dramatic turn, a huge crowd of opposition supporters streamed into the streets of downtown Belgrade late Sunday to await official results. Helmeted riot police carrying shields and armed with tear gas launchers cordoned off the group but later withdrew after a concert by Milosevic's supporters ended.

Similar gatherings were reported in Nis, Novi Sad, Cacak and several other towns in Yugoslavia's main republic Serbia. There were no immediate reports of clashes.

No official results had been released hours after polls closed. However, opposition leaders describ-ed the first returns as encouraging. Milosevic's own party indicated he was leading with barely enough to avoid a runoff Oct. 8.

Milosevic's Socialist Party claimed he was leading his chief rival, Vojislav Kostunica, by about 50 percent to 31 percent based on returns from 299 of the 10,000 polling stations.

However, two rival opposition parties disputed the figure, both giving a lead to Kostunica.

Opposition leader Zoran Djindjic predicted Milosevic would force a runoff in two weeks ''by falsifying the results. That will be his strategy.'' A runoff must be held Oct. 8 if none of the five candidates wins a majority.

Kostunica, supported by an alliance of 18 parties, had been leading in opinion polls despite a campaign marred by a crackdown against opposition supporters, one-sided coverage by the staunchly pro-Milosevic media and the lack of broad-based foreign monitoring.

During Sunday's voting, monitors reported that some bozes were stuffed with pro-Milosvic ballots, prominent opposition members were dropped from registration rolls and voters were forced to cast ballots publicly.

Nevertheless, Kostunica's spokes-man, Zoran Sami, said the first preliminary results from opposition poll watchers ''are very encouraging.'' But he gave no figures.

However, the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party, Milosevic's partner in Serbia's government, admitted its candidate lost the race. The Radicals said Kostunica was leading by 46.2 percent to 42.7 percent for Milosevic based on returns from about one tenth of the polling stations.

The U.S. has made ousting Milosevic a major goal, believing there can be no stability in the Balkans so long as he remains in power.

The Center for Free Elections and Democracy, a private group that monitored balloted, reported a turnout of 74.6 percent in Yugoslavia's main republic Serbia. In the smaller republic of Montenegro -- where the pro-Western government boycotted the vote -- the turnout was only about 24 percent.

''We believe that it's absolutely realistic to expect an election victory of our candidate already in the first round,'' said opposition spokesman Cedomir Jovanovic, basing their optimism on the initial results and high turnout.

Milosevic made no statement after polls closed.

Earlier Sunday, he brushed aside accusations that he would rig the vote to stay in power, predicting prosperity after he wins and his troubled country is ''cleared up'' politically.

The president's statement, made after he cast his ballot in the Dedinje district where he lives, may indicate he plans to crack down hard on political opponents -- whom he has dubbed NATO lackeys and traitors -- if he's declared the winner.

Kostunica, a 56-year-old law professor, said after voting that he expected to win.

''The regime is aware that it is losing these elections and that the people are free from fear to say what they think about such authorities,'' Kostunica said.

The stakes were especially high in the voting, which also included selection of a new parliament and municipal governments.

If Milosevic loses, he risks extradition to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, which indicted him last year for atrocities committed by his troops in Kosovo. He may also risk massive revenge by Yugoslavs tired of being an impoverished pariah country after a decade of his rule.